The Province Of Oxfordshire.

Why the Lodge collapsed ( and was erased on ioth February , 1790 , as No . 304 ) is not apparent , as in ten years considerably over 100 new members were admitted . The last entry in the Minute Book bears date 2 nd April , 1783 .

HliO . 1 JARRELL II . W . 1 I 0 HL 0 CK , G . CHAPLAIN , P . P . G . S . W . On the 17 th March , 1770 , the " Constitution Lodge , " No . 39 6 , was duly established "in the Turl , Turl Street , " but was changed to one other place of meeting at " the House of Bro . Pridie" in 1787 . This was a City Lodge , and its

Records are preserved by the existing "Alfred Lodge , " No . 340 . Unfortunately it did not continue working so long as the old " Alfred , " having been erased in February , 178 9 , as No . 307 , and its new members during the period were but few , compared with its friendly University rival .

Bro . Grennard was its first " R . W . M ., " and Brothers North and Matthews the Wardens . There were two Installations in each year at first , according to a custom then prevalent , but ultimately the elections were only once a year , and wisely so .

IlltO . ROUT . E . ISAVXHS . PAST GRAND DEACON , P . P . G . S . W . In 1774 it was agreed that joining members who were " Moderns" ( or " regular" Masons ) should pay a fee of half-a-guinea , but "Ancient" or " Atholl" Masons were charged idouble that amount . In 1 787 , Bro . Pridie gave notice that he could no longer entertain the Lodge in his

House , so the brethren agreed to continue the meetings elsewhere , if loyally supported ; but , if not , then the Jewels , & c , were to be valued and the money divided among the members , who then numbered nine . Bro . Hawkins considers that the brethren assembled elsewhere down to August , 17 88 , but does

not mention the name of the House , and neither does Bro . John Lane in his invaluable " Masonic Records , 1717-1 S 94 . " The only other Lodge in the County that has failed to keep on the Roll , save those of the "Ancients , " was one started at the " Cock Inn , " Banbury ; the dispensation for

which was dated 22 nd March , 1 S 15 , and was numbered 660 on the United Grand Lodge Register . Its erasure occurred in March , 1828 , but of its brief career we know absolutely nothing , excepting that it never seems to have made any payments to Grand Lodge after September , 1816 ; so its

removal from the Roll , though long delayed , was well deserved . The Grand Lodge of the " Ancients " from 1773 , during some thirty years , had granted four warrants in the County , but none of the Lodges were successful ; one only managing to get on the " Union " Roll of 1813-4 , but was struck off in

the following year . It was thus the single representative of some nine Lodges to thus obtain a place on the Roll of the United Grand Lodge , but even then it was not justified , as no payments were made after its year of constitution .

UI 10 . II . ADAIR PICKARD , PAST ( IRANI ) CHAPLAIN , P . P . G . SUPERINTENDENT . The first of the "Ancient" quartette was chartered to assemble at the " Ram Inn , " Chipping Norton , in 1771 , and was numbered 172 . In 1 794 appears at the" White Lion , "

High Street , Banbury , and at the " Cock , " Cornhill , in the same tpwn in 1801 , in which year the last entry in Grand Lodge occurs , yet it is entered in the "Ahiman Rezons , " & c , for 1804-7-13 . The second was warranted for the City of Oxford , as 180 , in 1773 the meetings to be held in the " Cross Inn , " Corn

, Market . It evidently failed to take with the Oxonians , but in 1792-4 , a revival was attempted at the "Star Inn , " Market Place , but it lapsed soon afterwards ; its occurring in subsequent " Ancient " Lists not being of any importance .

The third was located at the " Crown Inn , " Sheep Street , Bicester , being numbered 18 5 , until the " Union , " when it obtained 224 , to be removed from the Register almost immediately afterwards . The fourth and final attempt to secure a footing by the " Ancients " in the Province was in 1781 , when a new Lodge was constituted in the City , being

214 on the List . It did not survive really beyond a year or two , though represented on the official Lists to the year 1813 . As a matter of fact , therefore , the Grand Lodge of the " Ancients " entirely failed to obtain Masonic support in Oxfordshire , for within a year or two of the Union of ( he two

rival Grand Lodges , so happily cemented in December , 1813 , all its Charters were returned or confiscated by reason of neglecting to make the necessary returns , one of which , that of No . 180 , is preserved in the important Library of the Grand Lodge . ( To be e one I n iled . )